Recognizing that a random mosaic of courses does not an education make AND that pre-conceived majors and minors many not fit every need AND that the experience of sequential building upon previous achievement is a critical part of our intellectual development, we introduce the concept of "course fights." Named by analogy to a wine or beer flight, a course flight is a sequence of three courses or modules that form a coherent learning experience that can proceed through levels of mastery or bring three complementary perspectives to bear on an issue or phenomenon. The courses may be all within a single program or spread across several. One course may be the foundation of different triadic courses. Each course flight is designed by a faculty member or team of faculty members and is described in the catalog in terms of what makes it coherent, what levels of achievement can be expected at each stage, and how it relates to other flights and to majors, minors, and careers.

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Examples

How to Become a Theory-HeadMuch variety falls under the title "theory" in intellectual life. This flight refers to "social theory" in a broad sense. The term means something else in the natural sciences and in economics, but there is lots of resonance among what the term denotes in sociology, anthropology, political science, philosophy, gender studies, and even literary studies. This set of courses starts with sociological theory the first half of which rests firmly in the late 19th and early 20th century attempts to understand the changes in western society associated with the industrial revolution. The second half of that course concerns the mid- to late-twentieth century attempt first to synthesize the social sciences and then the critique of that project. In Political Philosophy (which can be taken first) we zoom out someone on the dimensions of abstraction and time-span dealing with issues whose relationships to social theory are both prior and meta. Finally, the choices in the third part of the flight are opportunities to learn more about the 20th (and even 21st) century theories that take a more linguistic and cultural turn.

SOC 116History of Sociological ThoughtFallThe works of leading sociological theorists, the historical-ideological setting of each theorist, and major trends of development of sociological thought, with particular reference to the 19th and 20th centuries. Intensive reading in the primary sources.

PHIL 028Political PhilosophySpringAn examination of fundamental concepts and issues in political theory, such as the relationship between power and justice, the nature of freedom and obligation, and the relationship between the individual and the community. Attention is given to contemporary concerns such as race and gender.

LET 110Introduction to Literary CriticismFallAn introduction to the most important contemporary schools of literary criticism: New Criticism; Structuralism and Post-structuralism; Marxism, New Historicism, and Post-colonialism; and Psychoanalytic, Feminist, and Gender Criticism. Primary aim is to provide an understanding of the concepts and methodologies characteristic of each school, and to enable students to apply those theoretical approaches to their own reading and critical practice.

OR

WGSS 182Feminist and Queer TheoriesFallAn examination of contemporary theories of the identity and oppression of women and queer people, with particular attention to the mutual construction and the intersections of gender, class, race, nationality, and sexuality.

OR

ANTH 115Anthropological TheoryFallThe works of leading anthropological theorists, the historical-ideological setting of each theorist, and major trends in the development of anthropological thought, including current feminist and postmodernist ideas.

Work and Labor in AmericaWork is literally how most of us spend most of our lives and it is arguably the primary way we gear into the world around us and that relationship - between workers and the system that employs - has been a primary driver of social and political debate for much of the modern era. This flight allows the student to develop her expertise around the issue of work and labor from three perspectives: the sociological, the historical, and the economic.

Complementary material will be found in History of Sociological Thought (soc116) where you would read Marx and Organizational Theory (govt101) where you learn about formal organizations where most work takes place.

Note: presumes prerequisite of Econ50.

HIST 135Worker in American Life: 1877 to the PresentFallThe labor movement and the history of working men and women in the U.S. since 1877. Events, personalities, institutions and ideas associated with the labor movement. The regional diversity of the movement. The role of protest, direct action, legal challenges, legislation. The role of religion; the role of race, ethnicity, gender and class in the working class. The contests over strategy and tactics of the labor movement; the contests over interpreting the meaning and legacy of the labor movement.

SOC 103Women and WorkFall
The sociology of work (occupations and professions) with a special emphasis on women. Employment trends, occupational socialization, the social psychological processes of working, and the structural dynamics of work. The roles and statuses of working women. Issues of special concern to women such as the dual-career family and the occupation of "housewife."